HAIR AND MAKEUP.

MISE EN SCENE;

It is important as a music band or artist to give a certain impression of yourself in order to provoke a certain reaction from your audience or to connote particular feelings or ideas about you and your concept. One method of doing this is through the use of hair and makeup in magazine photo-shoots as this can convey messages to fans and the public in general and can also give a description of the music you make and to a certain extent, your personality too.

FOR INSTANCE: It is evident that these two artists are VERY different and we, as an audience, are able to see this just judging by the hair and makeup of each individual.

On the left is Hayley Williams (Paramore) featured on the cover of Kerrang! magazine in 2010. On the right is Hayley again, this time joined by her band after their long-awaited comeback in 2013. If we compare the two photos, it is evident due to the styling of hair and makeup that the band have dramatically changed and this connotes emotions of both shock and excitement to both the audience of the magazine and fans of the band.

HAIR: Hayley’s hair is dramatically dyed the bright colours pink and red, which as well as connoting ideas of rebellion and being unconventional, both portray love and passion. This suggests that she is not afraid to stand out and may also reflect the topics of love and relationships which many of the new Paramore songs are focused around.

MAKEUP: Hayley’s makeup and hair compliment each other as her lips are bright red, re-emphasising the idea that she wants to stand out. Her eye makeup is also bright blue. These features stand out especially effectively due to the fact that her skin is made to look very pale. This contrast works dramatically well.

In this case, the style of hair and makeup could have various effects on both the magazine audience and the fans of the band.

-To the fans of Paramore, I think that this will have high significance as the dramatic change in Hayley Williams’s appearance may echo the change in the type of music the band have made since making their comeback. In previous years, she appeared to take a more natural approach towards her appearance which suggested that she was not bothered about standing out, however her appearance after the comeback implies the complete opposite and is far from natural. This idea will both excite fans and intrigue other rock music fans who maybe have not taken an interest in Paramore before.

-Hayley’s appearance is different and somewhat abnormal which will also have an intriguing effect on an audience as this may raise questions about the type of music that the band make; will it be as abnormal and different as the lead singer seems?

-This photo may be beneficial to the Kerrang! magazine itself as the bright colours of Hayley’s hair, eyes, lips and face will automatically attract attention to the magazine, which may cause a boost in revenue.

Hayley’s hair and makeup also contributes to the presentation of her as a likeable individual. Although she is attractive, both the style and colouring of her hair are somewhat unconventional. The suggestions of rebellion and individuality in the way that she is styled makes her rather relatable to many teenage girls who feel the desire to be different to the extent that many would even consider her to be an idol. These particular bright colours used on this Kerrang! cover are only recent changes to her appearance and may be a method of encouraging fans to copy as this can both widen the strength of fan-base and cause a rise in publicity for the band and ultimately increase attention. Many fans have copied Hayley’s appearance before and so by changing it, the band may be encouraging members of the fan-base to follow.

CONCLUSION:-Hayley’s dramatic hairstyle intrigues the audience and raises questions regarding the type of music, as it is very individual.

-The red and pink connote ideas of rebellion, passion and love which may reflect the character of Hayley and the band as a whole.

-Both her hair and her bright coloured makeup shows that she is not afraid to stand out. This is accentuated by her pale skin.

-Before she looked natural and subtle whereas now she looks highly unnatural and a lot more colourful which suggests a dramatic change in the music of the band since the comeback.

-She appears to be individual and this makes her a relatable person to many teenage girls and fans of the band.